Rumor of firearm at Allen East prompts investigation

HARROD — A rumor at Allen East schools led to a police investigation Monday, with the allegation soon proved to be false.

According to a notice from high school principal Keith Baumgartner, a rumor began spreading Monday about a student bringing a firearm to the school. Baumgartner said the rumor did not originate through social media, but rather through word-of-mouth, making it nearly impossible to trace the rumor back to its source.

“It was one of those things where, ‘I heard it from somebody else,’ who heard it from somebody else,” he said. “Even with that, in today’s society, we look at everything very, very close to make sure we don’t blow it off and make sure it’s just a rumor.”

Once the rumor was discovered, an Allen County deputy sheriff began an investigation, contacting those implicated in the rumor. The deputy soon discovered that the rumor was false.

Baumgartner said that the school was never put on lockdown Monday, and an additional police presence was brought into the school Tuesday morning as a precautionary measure.

The name of the student implicated was not released because of privacy concerns.